The Apple Tree
by QueenLF
Summary: *CHAPTERS 2 AND 7 REVISED SLIGHTLY*After her father makes a deal with the Devil, Alice must either accept her fate or find a way to change it. Based loosely on The Girl With No Hands. Rated T for themes.
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a farmer, who lived with his wife in a small cottage in a clearing in the middle of a forest. Not long after they were married, the wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, who they named Alice. And although they were poor, the farmer and his wife were thankful every day that neither they nor their daughter were ever hungry, cold, or alone.

As Alice grew, it was obvious that she would become a beautiful woman. She had long, wavy, dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, and fair skin, but these all paled in comparison to her amazing nature. Kind, caring, loving, polite and respectful were just a few words those who knew the young girl described her. And even though their family may not have been the richest, Alice did not mind, knowing that were many ways that they could have been much worse off.

One of Alice's jobs was to walk to the village every Thursday to collect the mail. It was quite a walk, but Alice did not mind. One Thursday when she was twelve, Alice was given a letter by the post master sent all the way from the heart of the kingdom. The envelope was sealed with red candle wax, so Alice knew that it was important. She ran home and as soon as she was in the door handed the letter to her father.

Alice's father read the letter and a shocked expression covered his face. His wife asked him, "My dear, whatever is the matter?" His only response was to hand her the letter for her to read herself. Once she had read it through, her expression mirrored his.  
"The bank has burnt down with all of our money inside?" she said. Her husband nodded sadly.  
"By the end of the week, we shall be too poor to inhabit even this ramshackle cottage." The two were nearly reduced to tears, when a knock on the door stirred them from their sombre thoughts.

The farmer rose to answer the door as his wife walked to the kitchen and called for Alice to help her with dinner. In a forced whisper, he told his wife, "Whatever you do, do not tell Alice about the bank. It would break her little golden heart." His wife nodded as Alice appeared from her room.

The farmer opened the door and to his surprise was greeted by a well-tailored young man, whom the farmer guessed was aged about twenty five. He had jet black hair which was slick back, a pine walking stick though he showed no need for it, and was dressed in a black suit with a tie and a blazer.

"Good day my sir," the man said cheerfully. Before the farmer could ask who he was, the man continued, "I have learnt of the current economic troubles your family are facing, and I wish to assist you. I have the power to make your family so rich that your very house could be built of gold and you would still have money to spare." At hearing this, the farmer's heart lit up. "Perhaps he is our guardian angel," he thought. Although still, something did not seem right to the farmer. He decided to investigate further.

"But my good sir," the farmer said, "Why would you do such a thing for a family you do not even know. I do not even know your name!" At this, the man smiled and chuckled to himself. "Then please allow me to introduce myself," he said slyly. "I am known throughout the world by many names, but you may know me as Lucifer."

The famers heart sunk as he realised that this man was not who he had first appeared to be. He leaned on the doorway and addressed the man in an icy way. "And I am sure that you wish for something in return," the farmer replied. At this, the man simply smiled and raised a hand.  
"I shall give your family a worlds worth of fortune with only the price of whatever I choose from your back garden," the man said. As soon as he heard this, the farmer's heart lifted again, but he remained collected.

"Very well," the farmer said as he began to walk around the house, "but I must warn you, all we have in our back garden is a single apple tree."

Oh, if only the farmer had not told him this. For if he had not known, an apple tree is all Lucifer would have gotten. But he would not have been content with an apple tree, he wanted something more, something that having in his possession would certainly drive the old farmer mad. And there was one thing he had in mind.

As he followed the farmer around the house, he looked in the window and saw the farmer's wife preparing dinner. He looked deep into her eyes and saw back in her memories. He saw a child lose her mother to illness at a young age, he saw a young woman married off to the son of one of her father's business acquaintances, but the memory that was of most interest to him was the birth of the couple's first child, a girl. A wicked smile crept across his face.  
"The perfect prize," he thought.

He looked deeper into the woman's eyes until finally, he was seeing through her eyes. He had successfully possessed her. He turned around in the old woman's body and saw the girl standing next to the stove on the other side of the kitchen. He spoke through the old woman.  
"Darling," he made her say, "Could you please fetch me some apples from the tree?"  
"Of course, Mama," the girl replied sweetly as she walked out the back door to the garden.

He became himself again as he and the farmer reached the back garden. The farmer had not noticed his daughter, and was simply talking about how much their family would miss the tree.  
"We planted it the year that our daughter was born, and it has fed us while we were hungry. It will be a shame to-"

"Her." the man interrupted, pointing his stick at Alice, who herself seemed quite confused at her sudden inclusion. The man looked to the farmer and could almost see his heart break, all this happening while Alice was still unaware that her father had sealed her fate so that she was doomed to become a trophy of the Devil.  
"What about me?" She said, weary of this stranger.  
"No, please sir," the farmer begged, "anything but my beloved child." The man teleported himself to standing right in front of Alice, grabbing her wrist in the process.  
"Papa, what's going on?" she asked her father, her voice shaky, but all he did to reply was sob and yell, "Please Alice, forgive me!"

The other man took it upon himself to explain. "You see, my lovely," he began, "I made a deal with your father that I would keep your family in good fortune for the rest of your lives, and in return, he would give me from your back garden whatever I chose, and I chose you." Alice realised who this man was, and felt her world collapse in on itself.  
"Please," she said, her voice shaky, "Don't hurt me." At this, the man laughed, and replied, "In fact, my dear, my plans were quite the contrary."

Alice's mother rushed out to the back garden to see her daughter in the clutches of the King of Evil.  
"Please sir," she pleaded, "We'll give you anything you want if you just let our daughter go."  
The man turned to her and said, "Your husband and I had an agreement; I would advise that neither of you two attempt to break it."

The farmer yelled "Please sir! Just give us time, time to cherish our daughter, before we are never allowed to see her again. Even a day would be more than enough." The man thought about this request for a long time, and then said "Very well. I shall give you ten years with your beloved daughter. But let it be known that on this day in exactly ten years time, I shall return to earth, and your daughter must return to my home with me." And with that, Lucifer disappeared into a cloud of smoke, leaving the farmer and his wife not believing their luck.

In reality, they were not lucky at all. In fact, Lucifer would have taken Alice straight away, but saw potential for more fun. The only reason he had given them ten years with Alice was to see whether in that time they would be driven mad. He also wanted to see whether he could use temptation to lure Alice into coming with him before the ten years. But it seemed now that only time would tell.

* * *

**A.N: Just wanted to say this story has next to nothing to do with religion. I am not a Christian (In fact I've been recently thinking of converting to Imagine Dragonism) and this story will not contain any grand battle between God and the Devil**


	2. Chapter 2

Five years passed, and during that time Alice's parents had been doing everything that they could think of to try and find a loophole in their deal. As for Alice, now a beautiful young woman, an even more valuable prize, they told her that if she ever saw the man with the suit, walking stick and slicked back black hair, she must try and get away, hide, flee, whichever would be the most convenient at that point.

One misty, overcast day, Alice's father fell ill, and her mother asked her to fetch some plants from the forest that would help cure him.  
"I do not need to remind you to be careful." Her mother warned.  
"Yes, Mama," Alice replied. And so, with a pair of scissors, hr green cloak and a description of what the plant looked like, she set off.

Alice walked through the dim forest and as it thinned, she arrived at a brook with only several tall, dying beech trees surrounding it. As her sharp eyes searched for the plant, the lack of sunlight was not helping. Finally, she had found the small purple flowers with silver on the underside, when she heard a voice from behind. The voice was soft and silky, and also slightly familiar, yet something didn't feel right to Alice.  
"So," the voice cooed, "this is what you do in your spare time." Alice turned around and was greeted by the one person she had prayed she would never have to see again, standing only a few feet away. It was the young man with slick black hair, bright green eyes, a tailored suit, and a walking stick even though he had no need for it.

Lucifer.

"Five years on," He said, attempting to be charming, leaning on his stick, "And time has been nothing but kind to you, my beautiful." Alice felt terror form in the pit of her stomach, travel up her windpipe, and try to force itself out as a scream, only to become stuck in the back of her throat in the form of a dry lump. Out of the one thousand thoughts that raced through her mind, one that kept appearing was the word, "run." And that, Alice did, but as she tried to dash back to the forest path, he appeared out of nowhere right in front of her, catching her and pushing her back against a tree. Alice released some of her fear in the form of a shriek.

"My dear," he purred in a soft voice as he held her shoulders back, "why are you acting so afraid?" he tried to look Alice in the eye. "Don't tell me I intimidate you," he laughed gently. Alice looked away, refusing to make eye contact. She felt the fear grow inside her, the fear of uncertainty. She did not know what he would do to her. Perhaps he was going to break the truce by taking her today? Alice felt dizzy as panic rose in her chest.

"Please," she said quietly, looking away from him, "what do you want?" At this, he smiled and gently stroked her neck with the back of his fingers, his touch making Alice force herself to not shiver. He leaned in, put his mouth close to ear and gently whispered, "All I want is to be with you." He began to nuzzle the side of her neck, every now and then his lips making contact with her soft skin, and as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and waist, he said softly, "You will fall in love with me, do not try to deny that."

Alice reacted to this statement with a condescending laugh, and managed to look him in the eye.  
"Do not flatter yourself," she said. He smiled and laughed as well, and Alice realised how handsome he was. His dark eyes, so full of thought, his black hair, always perfectly tidy, and his beautiful smile She tried to remember her mother's warning.  
"Be very careful around him, Alice. He's old as time itself and in that time he's become very good at playing mind games. And if you're not careful, you could end up under his spell."

Suddenly, he moved in to kiss her. Alice did not protest, as she was still in his trance, until she realised what was happening. Alice pulled her face away, pushing away his as well, but he pressed his forehead to hers, and still looked deep into her eyes.

"Your pulse has sped up, your face is flushed pink, your pupils are dilated, and your heart is literally pounding from your chest," He put a hand just above her breast and on her heart, "Those are the four signs of a person in love."

Alice was terrified. He was the embodiment of evil; she could not be in love with him. Yet she found herself happy in his presence, as if when she was with him she had not a care in the world. He must have been reading her mind, for the next thing he said was "Come back with me today."

"We had an agreement," Alice said sternly, pushing him back, "Ten years. No more, no less."  
"Agreements are made to be broken," he replied.  
"My parents could say the exact same thing about their agreement with you."

At this, he became frustrated, and walked away. "You will be mine, Alice," he shouted over his shoulder, "Perhaps not today, but someday soon!" And as soon as he had come, he was gone. Alice made for home as fast as she could, flowers in hand, trying her best to forget most of what had just happened.

* * *

**A.N: Again, I would just like to say that in no way mean to be religiously insensitive.**


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Alice arrived home she handed her mother the flowers she needed and burst into tears.  
"My goodness!" her mother exclaimed at her daughters sudden change in temperament, "My darling, whatever in the world has happened?!"

Alice wiped some tears from her face. "I saw him, Mama!" she wailed, "I saw him and he tried to take me back with him!" Upon hearing this, Alice's mother became very distraught indeed. She hugged her child, and told her, "My darling Alice, I promise I will keep you safe." With that she grabbed a large rucksack and piled all of Alice's clothing and belongings into it, as well as a tent and food for the two day journey.

"I have a friend whom lives in the heart of the kingdom," Her mother said, scribbling something down on a piece of paper and handing it to Alice. "As soon as you arrive in the kingdom, find him at this address, and tell him that you are my daughter. He will look after you until you find your fortune."

"But what about you? And Papa for that matter? He is ill; you could surely not look after him all by yourself," Alice protested, but her mother only said, "A parent's job is to protect their child; I am simply doing my job." And with that, Alice was out the door, on her way to the heart of the kingdom.

The years of fetching letters from the post office every Thursday had gotten Alice used to long walks. The road to the kingdom was seldom if ever busy, but it seemed on this day more people than per normal were coming and going to the city. Along the way she met many strange people, including a beggar woman and two children whose husband had gone missing.

"Please," the woman asked, "my children and I have been walking all day. Could you spare some bread?" Alice was more than happy to give to the poor family, and could see the surprise on even the youngest child's face when she willingly gave them a whole loaf.

Another character she met was a palace messenger whom had lost his horse. Alice spent an hour helping the poor man search in the forest that flanked the road either side to find his horse caught in a blackberry bush. After she helped him retrieve his horse, the messenger told Alice that the message that he had been sent out to spread far and wide was that the prince was looking for a wife, and that every eligible maiden was to meet him over the course of the next week. This news lifted Alice's spirit. "Perhaps the good prince can help free me of my burden," she thought.

But the last person she met on the travel of her first day was surely the strangest of them all. He was an elderly man, sitting at the foot of a tree. His hand had a large cut on it and was covered in blood.  
"My Lord," Alice exclaimed when she first saw him. She rushed over to the old man and picked up his hand gently, inspecting the cut. "Is there anything I may do to help?" she asked. The old man smiled kindly.

"My dear," he said, "You already have." And with that the old man leapt to his feet, and his hand healed completely in a matter of seconds. The man said, "I have sat at the foot of this tree for nearly thirty years, with that exact injury, and in the past thirty years you have been the only person whom has asked if they can help. As a reward for your kind heart, you may tell me of a current burden that plagues you, and I shall give you a single gift that I promise shall help save you."

Alice thought about this. There was only one burden currently plaguing her, but she was not sure how this man could help in any way. She told him her story and he listened contently.  
"That is why I am travelling to the kingdom," she said, "my mother believes that there I can hide from him there." The old man stroked his beard and thought hard about this.  
"I never believed that I would come across a story quite like yours," he said. "But, I think I may have something that will do just the trick." The old man produced a thin, silver ring from one of his pockets and put it in the palm of Alice's hand. "Wear this ring at all times," he advised, "and it shall help ward off the evil that means to take you."

Alice slipped the small ring onto her middle finger. "Thank you," she said as she gave the old man a hug. The two said their goodbyes and Alice, noticing that almost all daylight had disappeared over the horizon, decided to set up her tent and continue her journey at the break of dawn. She set up her tent on the edges of the forest and the road. And as the darkness grew and sleep became within her grasp, the ring on Alice's finger began to glow a soft shade of green.

In the middle of the night, Alice awoke to find that the ring was shining bright grass green, its light filling the tent. She prayed that it didn't mean that he was near. Just to be sure, she poked her head out of the tent door, and there he was, clear as day, on the other side of the road. Alice quickly ducked back into her tent, and realised that the ring was still shining brighter than ever, a beacon for him to find her. She quickly pulled it off of her finger and hid it under her pillow, dimming the light substantially. And almost as soon as she pulled the ring off her finger, a pair of hands reached into the tent and dragged her out.

Alice screamed as she felt his arms around her waist pull her from her safety. She continued to scream, hoping to possibly attract the attention of a night traveler. He sat on the edge of the road, held her from behind and tried to put a hand over her mouth, even though it did little to silence her screams for help. He rested his head on her shoulder and whispered in her ear,  
"I've got you now."

Alice stopped her screaming to ask him, "How did you know I had left?" At this, he laughed slightly and told his story.  
"Ever since our encounter earlier, I decided to keep a close eye on you. I watched you up until that old man gave you that damned ring, and then I lost vision, so I had to return to earth and catch up with you on foot. Back there," he said, motioning to where he had been standing before, "was the closest I could come while you wore it. But now that you have discarded it, you foolish girl, your soul is mine for the taking."

Alice heard the last seven words loud and clear, his icy breath whispering them into her ear as he held her close. She knew she had to get out of his grasp, just so that she had enough time to grab the ring and slip it back onto her middle finger. As he leaned over her shoulder to kiss her, she threw her hand back to hit him in the face, and while he was recovering from the sudden impact, Alice scrambled into the tent and frantically searched for the ring. She had just seized it when he dragged her back out by the foot.

He seized the wrist of the hand she held the ring in, holding on so tight that she couldn't stretch out her fingers fully, and she began to lose her grip on the ring.  
"Silly girl," he said sternly, not seeming to even mind the pain, "You will soon regret that."

The sound of a horse caught Alice's attention. She began screaming, yelling, calling for help, anything to get the horseman's attention. He disappeared into the forest as the coachman lit a lantern to see what was happening. Alice heard him in her head.  
"You will be mine," his silky voice whispered in her mind.  
"Are you very well, ma'am?" The coachman asked, his lantern shining in her face. Alice admired the man's big, beautiful Clydesdale horse. "I was attacked," Alice said. "Please, tell me, are you travelling to the kingdom?" The man nodded, "I have a cart full of hay set for delivery to the royal stables tomorrow morning. I'd invite you to ride up front, but there's not enough room."

"I'm fine with riding in the back, thank you so much for just taking me with you," Alice said, disassembling her tent and collecting her other belongings. The hay had no sharp stumps or thistles in it, so it was soft to lie in. She fell asleep in the cart, but just as she closed her eyes, she saw him far behind the cart, watching her.


	4. Chapter 4

The cart arrived in the palace courtyard early the next morning. The horseman hopped down from his seat and walked around to his load. "Miss," he said, "it's daybreak, we've arrived in the kingd-" The man was cut short, for as he walked around to the cart, he found that Alice was gone, a small imprint left in the hay where she had slept. The horseman found in the imprint a small, red velvet pouch. Upon opening the pouch, he found a small note. It read,

"Dear Sir, Thank you very much for allowing me to travel with you the past night. To show my gratitude, you may keep the contents of this pouch." The man tipped the pouch upside down over his hand, and to his surprise, ten gold coins fell into his palm. He stared at them in a state of shock. This much gold was worth enough to feed him and his family for the rest of his life. This meant...

"You," The man's boss yelled, "Get yourself working, this hay isn't going to unload itself!"

This meant that the man would no longer need to do the job he hated so dearly. He walked over to his boss and shoved the pitchfork into his hands.  
"And I'm not going to unload it either!" he said strongly, "Because I quit!" And with that, he unhooked his horse and rode home to his family.

* * *

Alice wandered through the kingdom, unsure of her way, only that she was going to the address her mother had given her. She had arrived in the kingdom during spring, meaning that all plants were in life, giving the kingdom on a whole a look of aliveness. The kingdom marketplace was beautiful, with each shop and stall having their own distinct shade of yellow, violet, blue and pink. She dawdled, not wishing to miss a single part of the scenery. Finally, after nearly an hour of walking, she arrived at the address. The street was silent as she approached number twenty-seven. Alice couldn't believe it when she realised the house was abandoned.

Alice sunk to the ground with her back to a building. Now, she was lost and alone with no hope of returning to her family. Her family; her dying father and her lonely mother, she would never she either of them again. She forced herself not to cry, knowing that He would see it as a weakness and that it would attract him

Alice's gaze travelled to the ring on her middle finger. She was amazed that all which stood between her and him was a tiny band of silver wrapped around her finger. She looked around, wondering whether he was watching her from a distance.

Alice knew that just sitting around feeling sorry for herself was not helping anyone. So, she collected her things and made her way to the castle. If it was not busy, there may have been a chance that she could get an audience with the king that day. She was lucky. There was only a small group of people wanting an audience before her, and she was the last of the day. As the person before her left, Alice stepped closer to the throne, her nerves on edge. The king was an admired and feared ruler, and now her only hope of salvation.

"You may speak," he said in a gruff voice. Alice looked up, trying to keep her fear hidden. She was certain that the king would not believe her if she told him the truth, so she would have to conjure up a story to convince him to help her.

"Please, my Lord," she said, "allow me to take refuge in your beautiful kingdom. My family and I lived in a nearby kingdom that is at war. When our village was attacked, I was the only one of my family whom survived. At this point in time I would rather be a servant in your kingdom than a free person in my own."

Alice heard footsteps approaching the courtroom, and from behind a large tapestry emerged the king's son, the prince himself. He was quite tall and perfectly muscular, with olive skin, dark brown eyes, and fine features.  
"We have had many other refugees enter the kingdom, father. I believe it would only be fair to let this young woman in." He turned to look at Alice, and immediately was spellbound by her beauty. He approached her and took her hand in his. "My name is Prince Daniel," he said charmingly as he kissed her hand, "And yours?"

She smiled and blushed slightly at the prince's sudden interest in her. "My name is Alice, Prince Daniel," was all she replied with. He gave her an intrigued look.  
"And may I ask where your current place of residence is, Miss Alice?" he asked, his left eyebrow slightly lifted, causing Alice's cheeks to redden even more.

"Within the kingdom, I do not have a past or current place of residence," Alice replied solemnly. "My mother gave me the address of a friend of hers that I could stay with, but when I arrived the house was deserted."  
The king nodded sombrely. "A devastating flood ripped through the lower kingdom only a week ago. If your mother's friend is not dead, then he is most certainly out of home." Alice sighed. Now she was in an unknown place, without her family, and not to mention that He was after her.

Suddenly Daniel had an idea. He took Alice's hand and said, "You may stay in the palace, and be my guest of honour to the Royal ball tomorrow night." Alice was surprised at the prince's amazing hospitality. Perhaps if she stayed in the palace for long enough, He would forget her and she would finally escape his everlasting pursuit.

And as she fell asleep in the warm embrace of a goose-down duvet in one of the palaces guest bedrooms, Alice dreamt of a new beginning; but another thought invaded her dreams. It was Him; the way he smiled, the way he laughed, the way he talked. If only Alice realised how slim her chances of escape from Lucifer really were.


	5. Chapter 5

As Alice walked down the marble staircase to the main ballroom, she was stunned by the Royal ball. There was the grandest of food on every single table, an entire orchestra, a stage for performers, as well as the splendour that the other guests were dressed in. The room itself was shaped sort of like a semi-sphere, with round walls, and a round ceiling with an amazing painting on it. Several open doors, which let in the crisp summer night air, led out to nearly ten balconies Never in her life had she seen so many people in one place, let alone important people. There were dukes and duchesses and counts and playwrights, and in the middle of all of them, her. Alice felt quite out of place until she was approached by the prince. He smiled at her as he took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips.

"I'm glad you were able to attend," he said kindly. Alice replied, "Well you have shown such great hospitality towards me, it would have been ever so rude to have not." They shared a smile, and Alice felt a kindness from him that she had never felt from anyone else before. For this young man to take in a complete stranger and treat her like royalty would have taken a lot of selflessness.

Daniel led Alice towards the dance floor. "Do you know the Pippinette?" he asked.  
Alice bit her lip. She didn't know the first thing about dancing. "We don't do much dancing where I'm from," she lied. Daniel smiled at her kindly. "Then I shall teach you," he replied softly.

"The men line up on one side facing their partners and the women on the other. First when the music starts the dancers bow to their partners and then take their hands. The pairs then spin slowly, holding onto each other, before letting go and spinning back to their original standing point. And after that they both move one to the left."

Alice nodded. "Sounds simple enough," she thought to herself. Daniel signalled for the orchestra to start playing, and two lines form as the sweet music began. Alice lined up facing Prince Daniel and curtsied humbly. He took her hand and they began to spin, and while other couples were talking and laughing as they danced, she and Daniel just shared a loving content stare.

The time came when they had to swap partners, but Alice remembered that even though she knew no one but him, she would be reunited with Daniel soon enough. "And besides," she thought, "my next partner will not be that bad."

She thought wrong, for while her mind wandered as she bowed, when she looked up to be greeted by the surprise of her life.  
It was him.

"Hello, Alice," he hissed once they had made eye contact. She wanted to scream, but she knew the second she did that he would disappear, and she would look insane. How was this even possible? Then she remembered that she'd taken off the ring in the bath to save it from getting wet and going rusty, planning to put it back on afterwards. How did she forget?!

"I'll kill the prince if you reveal to him who I really am," he whispered as they began to spin. Alice felt her spine chill. How did he know about the prince? Had he been watching her this entire time? She spun back out and this time had a new partner, an older gentleman whom she later discovered was the duke of a nearby city. But with every partner, she could feel his stare fixed on her. It was not until she was back with Daniel as the dance came to an end that she felt safe again.

"Is everything alright, Alice?" he asked, seeing the remaining traces of fear in her eyes.  
Alice nodded. "Yes, yes," she said, "everything's perfectly fine. It's just that-" she froze as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Why there you are, Alice," he said joyfully, as if he'd been looking for her and had only just found her. He looked to the prince and said, "Could I steal her from you for a moment, good prince?"  
Daniel eyed Lucifer. "May I know who you are first, my good sir?" Even though he said it cheerfully, Alice could hear a note of suspicion in the prince's voice.  
"He is my cousin," Alice said quickly, remembering Lucifer's words. Daniel seemed to have a look of understanding cover his face, although he still seemed quite suspicious.  
"Very well," he said, and with that He led Alice out onto a balcony.

"How dare you," he hissed at her, bringing his face close to hers once they were out of view to any whom may see them. At this, Alice scoffed. "You terrorise me, force me to flee from my home, cause me to feel utter hopelessness, tempt me to lessen my time on earth, and now you look at me with disgust?!"  
Once she had finished her rant, he just scowled at her. "Do you not remember our promise?" he spat. Now he was not even pretending to be charming. Alice stared him straight in the eye.

"I remember that our promise was that in exactly five years I will have to leave with you," she said. "I cannot see how in any way I have threatened that." Alice made for the door back to the ballroom, but he seized her wrist.  
"I will kill anyone who threatens our agreement," he said, his anger now blatant.  
Alice stared at him. "Then you better kill me as well." And with that, she yanked her hand from his grip and returned to the ball.

He leaned on the railing of the balcony, trying to calm himself. What was it about this girl that got him so worked up? It wasn't that he had feelings for her, and love was definitely out of the question. So what was it? Perhaps it was because she was so pure, and she had never indulged in temptation or sin before. It would have been so much easier when she was a child, her mind so easily moulded and her heart so easy to steal. If only he had struck when she was younger, and then she would have grown up to look forward to going with him. But now something had changed about her. She was now more headstrong, more self confident. He knew that this change could have only taken place over the past few days, so something must have changed. It must have been that prince. Because of him, she had become more self confident and willing to stand up for himself. That left only one option.

The prince would have to die.


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N: hey guys, this is probably the second to last chapter for this story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)**

* * *

As time passed Alice became more settled into palace life. After the night of the ball Daniel questioned her again and again about her 'cousin', and finally she snapped. She told him everything from the deal when she was twelve to that day in the forest to the ring to falsifying her nationality upon arriving in the palace court. Upon hearing this, Daniel pulled Alice into an embrace, his hold comforting her. She grew into her role as a lady in waiting, and she was soon beloved by everyone, everyone that is except the king. The king was disapproving of his son being in love with a commoner, let alone one whose past was shrouded in mystery. But after a year in the king's court, Daniel asked her to be his wife. Alice said yes without even thinking twice. This naturally infuriated Lucifer. Now his prize would be even harder to claim

For two years Alice was Daniel's princess and future queen. They made plans together for the future. The future of their kingdom, of their children, of their lives. But sadly, the future they spent hours on end talking about never came.

One night, as they slept, Lucifer possessed Daniel. He looked into his mind, found his memories, discovered that he kept a dagger in the bottom drawer of his bedside table. He leaned down, grabbed the dagger, all while Alice slept peacefully next to him. He held the dagger in his left hand as he leaned over and slipped the ring off of Alice's finger, then throwing it out of the window. He held the dagger close to his throat, preparing to escape this human form exactly before he slit this miserable human's throat. He tried to cut his throat open, but something was stopping him. It was as if a force held him back. Lucifer didn't know this, but it was Daniel's sub conscience fighting him off. Daniel's will to live and love for Alice were so strong that he was forcing Lucifer out, and finally, when he realised he was beaten, Lucifer replaced the dagger and escaped, Daniel falling back asleep, having no recollection of the fact that he had nearly been murdered. Lucifer knew that he had to change his approach. After spending a great deal of time thinking about it, he had a new plan of attack.

As the young maid headed back to the servants quarters, He possessed her. He took control of her, and through looking at her memories, he learnt that the girls name was Maia, she was fifteen, and she had only been working at the palace for only three weeks. He forced her to turn around and start walking to the prince and princess' room. The heavy door opened with an ominous creak as the maid slowly walked towards a sleeping Daniel. She leaned down and lifted the dagger from the bottom drawer, trying to be as quiet as possible. She ripped the dagger through his throat, a small sound of pain escaping Daniel before he bled his last drop. Lucifer made Maia throw herself out of the window, escaping her form seconds before she hit the ground.

The light fought through the flittering curtains as Alice began to wake up. She stretched out her arms, hitting the top of Daniels head in the process.  
"Oh," she said tiredly, "sorry darling." She heard no reply. She felt something on her arm. Alice sat up, and realised a horror she had never expected. In a pool of dried blood, specks of which covered her arm, lay her husband, Daniel. And on the pillow, written in a red stain, were the words  
"Two years to go my love".

A blood-curdling scream escaped her lips at the sight of her slain love, and within seconds a large group burst into the room, the king included. At the sight of his son, he broke down in tears, unable to control himself. After a large amount of sobbing, he looked at Alice and said, "You."

Alice was confused. "M-Me?" she stuttered, pointing at herself. The king rose from the floor.  
"Yes, 'you'," he growled. "You're the reason my son is dead. I don't know how, but I'm certain that if he married someone worthy of him, none of this would have happened." Alice was close to tears. Then, she remembered the writing on the pillow.

"Please," she pleaded, "I promise that it wasn't me. It was someone who had a bone to pick with me. Killing Daniel was his way of sending a message." The king scowled her.  
"And who was this someone?" he questioned. Alice took in a deep breath. She would finally have to come clean.  
"It was Lucifer," she breathed. The king stared at her accusingly.  
"Now I'm sure of it," he said, "she has killed my son and she's crazy."

Alice felt as if she would faint from shock. She was being victimised by the lord of evil and no one believed her.  
"The execution shall take place tomorrow." The king hissed to one of his squires.  
Alice couldn't believe her ears. Execution? She hadn't even had a chance to plead her case and already the king had sentenced her to death. She felt as if she would faint, throw up, and cry all at the same time. "Not now," she thought, "not in front of them."

Two guards seized her underneath the arms and dragged her downstairs, through corridors, until they finally arrived in the palace dungeons. After they left she let hopelessness sink in. She let one tear drip down her face, then two, then three, then more. She released one sob, then two, then three, then more. Whether she died at the hands of the executioners tomorrow or by some miracle the king had a change of heart, she was still doomed. Doomed to travel to the underworld, whether it was with Lucifer or not.


	7. Chapter 7

The clanking of metal against the hard stone floors stirred Alice, and she slowly rose from the floor of her cold cell. A guard pushed a key into the lock of the door, then pushing it open. He and another stood at the door.  
"It's time," one of them said. Alice fought back tears, knowing that one must be noble in their last moments on this earth.

She was flanked either side by the two men, who themselves were in a heated discussion... about her.  
"If we take her then they'll know it was us," one of them protested.  
"But if we get away with it," the other one persuaded, "then we roll up, claim the reward, and hand this one in." Alice was enraged by what she heard. She was not a 'this one,' and she would rather die now than prolong her suffering existence.

They led her out into the courtyard. It was a murky, overcast day, causing her to sigh. It reminded her of the day He cornered her in the forest, the temptation tasting so sweet, and running home, her mother making her pack up her things and flee to the kingdom. Alice thought of her parents for a moment. She wondered whether her father had recovered or whether he had perished. She wished she could have a chance to see them once more before this.

The guards shoved her towards a large man dressed completely in black. Alice felt fear fill her as she realised who this man was. He was the executioner. He led her up to a large pedestal, complete with a guillotine.  
"If you have any final words," he said gruffly, "now's the time to speak them." Still in his grip, Alice spoke a speech that she'd been preparing the entire past night.

"You have sentenced me to death for, honestly, no reason at all. I did not kill Daniel. I was telling the truth when I said it was Lucifer. Even since I was a child he has terrorised, taunted and tormented me. My death may be insignificant in history, but if in future you realise I have been telling the truth, you shall be plagued with guilt for the rest of your lives."

The king remained unmoved. He flicked a hand at Alice, motioning for the executioner to get on with it. He pushed Alice to her knees and stuck her head into the slot. But as the executioner made his way to the switch, Alice could have sworn that she saw a wisp of smoke, which grew, and grew, and grew, until it was finally a fully formed cloud. And who would come from that cloud, but Lucifer? He jumped onto the pedestal and stabbed the executioner. He grabbed Alice from the guillotine and as quickly as he had appeared, they were gone.

Alice opened her eyes and saw that she were in a field, waist-deep in rye grass.  
"A thank you is usually customary," he said.  
"Thank you for what?!" she yelled, walking up to him. "Thank you for tricking my father? Thank you for forcing me to flee to the kingdom? For killing my husband, for leaving me incriminated, for only swooping in to save me after the threat of your prize being lost? All that you have ever done has been in self interest. You have never thought of anyone but yourself." As she turned to walk away, he grabbed her wrist and spun her into his hold. Their faces were only inches apart. She could feel his icy breath tickle her face, his touch chilling her bones.

"Wouldn't be easy," he said softly, "if it all ended here? The fighting, the fleeing, the bloodshed?" Alice had to admit, it all sounded so tempting. It would be so easy to go back with him, to leave the earth that wished her dead, to leave it all behind in the hope of starting new. She no longer cared that he was evil. Getting away from it all sounded like heaven. But as she moved her face closer to his, a familiar voice snapped her out of her trance.

"I would appreciate it," the voice said, "If you unhanded her." Alice couldn't believe her eyes when she turned to see who was talking.  
Daniel stood in the field, only feet from them. She slipped out of Lucifer's grip and ran into Daniel's arms. Lucifer for whatever reason couldn't give chase.  
"How is this happening?" she sobbed as he held her, "Have I died?"  
Daniel laughed. "No, my dearest," he said, "you are not dead."  
"But, you're here," Alice protested, "You died, how is this even possible?"  
Daniel smiled at her. "Sometimes," he said, folding out a pair of angel wings, "Fate has a funny way of working out."

Alice couldn't believe it. He had become her guardian angel. That was why Lucifer was keeping his distance  
"I also have a question for you, Alice," he said. "Heaven needs another angel. Will you return with me?"  
She couldn't believe her luck. Finally, she would be free. Alice could barely form words, but somehow she was able to say,  
"Yes. I love you, Daniel."  
He whispered, "I love you, too, Alice," and with that, he kissed her on the forehead. Alice felt a strange sensation on her back, and then realised that she was sprouting wings. Daniel held her tight and as they rose through the clouds, Alice found happiness in the fact that she had been able to change her fate.


End file.
